Therapist Review: Andrea DeSharon Concord, MA

Andrea DeSharone (first name pronounced Ondrea)

Luminosity Studio ~ A Safe Place in Concord
tel: 978-371-1976   email Luminosity Healing
Based in Concord, MA and serving greater Boston and MetroWest.
Website:
http://www.luminosityhealing.com/
Types of therapy used:initial session filling out intake form. Has a hard time writing while listening to someone talk very fast. Does a “worst things” history for the purposes of EMDR.
Uses many tools in therapy: Expressive arts (drawing, writing, sandtray, movement (has balls, scarves and other props), music (has recorded music and instruments)
EMDR, great understanding of past and current trauma.Teaches active listening for families. Includes body work in sessions, trager approach. Other techniques I did not use but know she uses: yoga techniques, breathwork, spiritual principles, possibly other things.
Generally lets client talk without interruptions. Does give solid feedback but doesn’t force her opinion unless a crisis situation. Extremely good at coaching families in a gentle way without taking over the family discussion at all. Registered dance therapist. Registered EMDR therapist. Speaks Hebrew.
Accessibility: Great at keeping appointments. Is ok with e-mail though doesn’t respond at length also is good with someone e-mailing assignments from therapy, if asked to write something/ journal.
Takes blue cross blue shield not HMO. Hates paperwork! Was not happy about filling out a department of mental health application and didn’t even know there was such a department. Good sliding scale. My cost was %$80 per session. Would do phone sessions when you couldn’t make it.
You could call in a crisis but she was kind of annoyed and didn’t encourage it.

Office environment: Has a home office, area attached to her deck, as well as a beautiful creative arts studio. Home office has area with massage table for bodywork. Studio has plenty of room to move. One small couch. Sessions are done sitting on the floor in backjacks (foladable meditation chairs) unfortunately I don’t believe has anything for those who can’t sit that way. Studio has sandtray and accessories, musical instruments (several different drums, shakers ETC) and the space generally invites creativity. Might be pictures on the walls andother visual fixtures I wouldn’t know.
What did you like most: Her down to earth manner. That she was comfortable in her skin enough to readily give hugs, safe touch, holding. Her skills with working with families and trauma. Her openness to people with disabilities.
What did you like the least? Her not knowing what the department of mental health was and not taking calls between sessions.
Comments: I saw Andrea for a year and she was truly an excellent therapist. She had a variety of tools to use that ran the spectrum of therapies and was very flexible. I really enjoyed sandtray, music improvisation, role playing, the family work we did and EMDR. Her flexibility with sliding scale made it possible to see her when I know I wouldn’t have been able to afford her otherwise. Would highly recommend.

Links for sites of therapy mentioned.
American dance therapy asociation
https://adta.org/
Trager movement
http://www.trager.com/approach.html
EMDR
https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/

suggestions for reviewing a therapist

Hi everyone,
I’m really happy with how things have started. Thank you to the people who have done a post.
Really need followers and more contributors so please share.
I’ve thought and thought about how to come up with a sensitive yet honest set of guidelines for interviewing individual therapists. I feel it’s a crucial thing for consumers to access and contribute to. However I do want to honor the individual doing the tough job of working with the mind and heart, which has no hard and fast rules and can’t be given star ratings! Therapists are very much human as anyone else.
This being said we all know that taking someone’s word completely, whether the review is good or bad isn’t the point. It’s for those who have actually worked with this person to give feedback in general good or bad and hopefully a balance of both. So please write these reviews with that in mind.
As for the other treatment programs I’ve come up with a set of questions just as guidelines. Please don’t feel the need to answer every one or boxed into the questions. These are just guidelines. Comments in parenthises are just suggestions and don’t need to be included in your actual review.
You would give the therapist’s contact information, website if there is one.
Say in your own words what type of therapy was used. (see my post on therapy aproaches, or just give a general idea, tools used, pattern of sessions ETC)
Is the therapist accessible between sessions? How do they respond in a crisis?
do they keep appointments and reschedule promptly?
Cost: Roughly how much per session? Is there a sliding scale? How flexible is the therapist with this? Do they accept any insurance, medicaid? medicare?
What’s the office environment like? (furniture in the office, any art on the walls, fish tank, art things space for movement etc)
What did you like most about this therapist?
What do you like the least?
General comments.

Would love to hear people’s thoughts on this. If they’d rather have something changed or taken out. I will post a review of a former therapist to show an example.
I’m hoping we can expand the treatment resources to therapists as well.